Yecheng Martyrs' Cemetery

Yecheng Martyrs' Cemetery

Yecheng Martyrs' Cemetery is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a classic red tourism site.

In the late 1950s to early 1960s, along the disputed southern, eastern, and western sectors of the China-India border, India continuously escalated border conflicts, insisted on a policy of aggression and expansion, deliberately created border tensions, and aggressively encroached on Chinese territory. Under unbearable provocation, the Chinese border defense forces were compelled to launch a self-defense counterattack on October 20, 1962. This Sino-Indian Self-Defense Counterattack War was the first anti-aggression war in New China. Yecheng served as the logistical support base for the western front at that time, with the Western Front Command headquartered at Kangxiwa on National Highway 219. Thanks to the valiant fighting of the frontline troops and the united support of logistics and civilian personnel, the western front battle achieved victory by November of that year.

To permanently commemorate the revolutionary martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the self-defense counterattack operations on the western section of the China-India border in October 1962, upon the decision of the Party Committee, People's Government, and Xinjiang Military Region of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Yecheng Martyrs' Cemetery was jointly constructed by Yecheng County and the Southern Xinjiang Military Region in October 1965 and put into use.

In April 1995, it was designated as a patriotic education base by the Civil Affairs Department of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

In December 2001, it was named a youth patriotic education base by the Communist Youth League Committee of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

In 2003, through the joint efforts of the higher-level authorities, the county Party committee, the county government, and the county civil affairs bureau, 280,000 yuan was invested in the renovation of the martyrs' cemetery, further improving infrastructure such as roads, landscaping, power supply, and water supply within the cemetery.

In 2008, an application was submitted for the expansion and renovation project of the martyrs' cemetery.

In March 2009, the State Council approved it as a National Key Martyrs Memorial Building Protection Unit — Yecheng Martyrs' Cemetery.

In 2009, the regional and autonomous region civil affairs departments conducted multiple research visits to Yecheng County, inspected the current state of the martyrs' cemetery, analyzed the feasibility of the project, and reported to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

In April 2009, the project was officially approved and preparatory work commenced.

Construction began in April 2010 and was completed in 2011.

Located six kilometers east of the county town, after expansion and renovation, Yecheng Martyrs' Cemetery now presents itself as a picturesque, thematically prominent, well-laid-out, uniquely designed, and majestic national defense education base, patriotic education demonstration base, red tourism site, and ethnic unity education base.

The martyrs' cemetery covers an area of 78 mu, with National Highway 315 at its entrance. The main gate faces south, adorned with fourteen golden characters from Chairman Mao’s poem: “For sacrifice, great aspirations arise; daring to change the sun and moon for a new sky,” with a couplet on either side reading: “Honor the revolutionary martyrs, inherit the glorious tradition.”

Inside the gate lies a 2,000-square-meter memorial square. Fifty meters directly ahead of the main gate stands a solemn and majestic Revolutionary Martyrs Monument, with a circumference of 19.62 meters and a height of 10.20 meters (symbolizing October 20, 1962), shaped like a square tower. The front is inscribed with “Eternal Glory to the People’s Heroes,” while the back reads “To die for the people is heavier than Mount Tai.”

Behind the Martyrs Monument is the memorial hall, featuring eight grand columns at its main entrance, covering a construction area of 500 square meters. On either side are poetic lines: “The spirit of the martyrs lasts for a thousand autumns, the heroism of the brave lives forever.”

On both sides of the memorial hall are magnificent white marble memorial walls. The front depicts scenes of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang uniting as one, safeguarding the borders, and resisting invasion, while the back is engraved with an introduction to Yecheng Martyrs' Cemetery and the names of the heroes.

On either side of the memorial walls are memorial corridors.

Behind the memorial hall is the Heroes’ Tomb Area. The front row contains the graves of three national-level martyrs and eight autonomous region-level martyrs. The entire Martyrs’ Tomb Area covers an area of 8,500 square meters and houses the remains of 48 martyrs: 67 who died for the revolution, 59 who perished or died from illness in service, 35 who died in the line of duty, totaling 211 individuals. Among them, seven were awarded First-Class Merit, one Second-Class Merit, and two Third-Class Merit. Forty-one were Party members, 36 were League members. There were three at the regimental level, five at the battalion commander level, eleven at the company level, three at the platoon level, and the rest were squad-level soldiers or lower. Among them, three martyrs were awarded the title of “Combat Hero” by the Ministry of National Defense in 1963: Luo Guangxie, Simayi Maimaiti, and Wang Zhongdian. Seventy-nine martyrs are buried at the former site of the frontline command.

On March 2, 2009, the State Council approved Yecheng Martyrs' Cemetery as a National Key Martyrs Memorial Building Protection Unit. The expansion and renovation project of Yecheng Martyrs' Cemetery was officially approved in April 2009, with a total investment of 5.6 million yuan, including 4.6 million yuan from the national government and 1 million yuan from the autonomous region. Major construction projects included: the Martyrs Monument, the memorial hall, the memorial square, the memorial corridor, the main gate, martyr tombs, the memorial wall, and auxiliary facilities. The Yecheng County Party Committee and County Government placed high importance on the construction of this national-level martyrs' cemetery, with key leaders from the county Party committee, government, and regional civil affairs bureau frequently visiting the site to provide guidance. The expansion and renovation project received support from stationed military units in Yecheng, including the Tank Regiment, the Armed Forces Department, the 29th Regiment, the 18th Hospital, the Oil Depot, the Ali Garrison Office, and the Comprehensive Depot.

Yecheng Martyrs' Cemetery is the only martyrs' cemetery in Xinjiang with a national defense focus related to the self-defense counterattack war. It serves as a base for patriotic education, revolutionary heroism, opposition to ethnic separatism, safeguarding national unity, and strengthening ethnic solidarity for government agencies, schools, enterprises, stationed military units, and other organizations in Yecheng. During Qingming Festival and Youth Day every year, thousands visit the cemetery to mourn, pay tribute, and receive education on national defense, patriotism, and ethnic unity. Yecheng Martyrs' Cemetery has become a patriotic education base, national defense education base, ethnic unity education base, and red tourism education base in southern Xinjiang, regularly receiving domestic and international peace-loving individuals. The cemetery plays a vital role in honoring revolutionary martyrs, educating the public and youth about revolutionary traditions, conducting national defense and patriotic education, and promoting the construction of socialist spiritual civilization.

Source: Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China